The United States produces and sells millions of automobiles every year. While most vehicles are made to the highest standards, errors can happen during the design and manufacturing stages. When an auto part or system malfunctions, the consequences for the driver and other road users can be tragic.
Automakers must make every effort to ensure their vehicles are safe before putting them on the market. In their hurry to meet deadlines and make profits, they sometimes fail to check for potential flaws that could lead to serious accidents. When manufacturers put their financial interests above public safety, motorists like you end up paying the price.
If you sustained injuries in a California crash and believe a vehicle defect is to blame, consult an experienced car accident lawyer from Demas Law Group immediately. The manufacturer could owe you significant compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, and more. Our award-winning trial lawyers can investigate the case and pursue the money you deserve. Call or contact us today for a free consultation.
Common Types of Manufacturing Defects
Claims involving vehicle defects typically fall into one of three categories:
- Design defects make a vehicle inherently dangerous regardless of how it is made.
- Manufacturing defects occur because a vehicle is not built according to design specifications.
- Failure to warn is a marketing defect that occurs when carmakers do not adequately inform customers of the safety risks associated with their products.
Some of the most common types of vehicle manufacturing defects include:
- Defective airbags – Airbags that deploy when they aren’t supposed to, fail to deploy when they should, or deploy more forcefully than intended can leave vehicle occupants with severe injuries.
- Defective seat belts – Like airbags, seat belts should protect you from the force of a collision. A seat belt that won’t buckle or comes unbuckled on its own significantly raises your risk of suffering severe injuries in an auto accident.
- Defective tires – Building safe tires is a complex process that requires using quality materials and undergoing strict safety inspections. When something goes wrong during the assembly process, the chances of a catastrophic tire failure increase.
- Acceleration issues – An electronic control unit (ECU) is a modern innovation that controls a vehicle’s electrical components. A defective ECU can cause sudden unintended acceleration (SUA), even if the driver isn’t pressing the gas pedal. Uncontrolled acceleration can quickly lead to a dangerous collision.
- Brake failure – Accidents involving defective brakes and parking brakes have led to many lawsuits nationwide. Any defect that causes the brakes to work more slowly — or not at all — can cause catastrophic accidents and serious injuries.
Product Liability and Vehicle Defects
Product liability is an area of personal injury law that gives accident victims grounds for a lawsuit if a product they use harms them. If you believe your car accident injuries are due to a vehicle or parts defect, you’ll need to establish:
- The defect exists.
- The manufacturer should be held liable because it failed to recognize a defect, resolve the problem, or issue a recall after the vehicle was distributed and sold.
- The vehicle defect directly led to your injuries.
An experienced car injury attorney can investigate the accident and the vehicle to determine whether the defect occurred during the design stage, the manufacturing process, or at some other point. Manufacturing defects can be especially difficult to prove because they may only occur in a single cluster of manufactured vehicles. In some cases, vehicle part defects can occur because of damage during the distribution process, rendering an otherwise functional part defective. Once your attorney isolates where the problem occurred, they can identify the liable party(s) and begin building your case.
How Do Automakers Handle Design Defects?
Automakers who discover a vehicle defect once the car is on the market can issue a recall and repair the problem at their expense. If they fail to recall the vehicles, the manufacturer will be obligated to compensate people who suffer injuries due to the flaw on a case-by-case basis. If many people sustain injuries because of the same defect, they may join together to file a class action or mass tort suit against the manufacturer or other liable party.
What a California Vehicle Injury Lawyer Can Do for You
When you file a claim against a vehicle manufacturer, you’re going up against big corporations bent on protecting their bottom lines. You’ll need access to technical documents, product specifications, expert witnesses, and more to prove your claim. Many of these resources can be difficult to find without a lawyer’s help.
Once you hire an attorney, the pressure’s off. A knowledgeable products liability lawyer will know what information to obtain from the automaker to build a solid case. They can also research the outcomes of past vehicle defect litigation to see the results of cases similar to yours. All of this information can strengthen your claim.
Your attorney isn’t just a legal representative. They act as your personal advocate during negotiations with the automaker and their insurer. You stand a better chance of recovering the money you deserve if you have a skilled car accident lawyer in your corner.
Contact a Car Accident Injury Lawyer in California Today
Demas Law Group is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm with a history of obtaining multi-million-dollar verdicts and settlements for clients throughout California. If you were hurt in an accident caused by a vehicle defect, a Sacramento vehicle injury lawyer from our firm can build a persuasive case for maximum compensation for you. Call or contact us today for a free case review.
